Can the Tank exist without the shell-shaped reservoir (flower pot)?

[Miloslav Maun]

I've bought another pagoda. This time it is a 1966 230 SL which stood still for more than 15 years. It has been garaged so it looks OK but the tank is very rusted.

I have even discovered couple of small holes in the bottom - I plan to fix them with some kind of special tank glue. I will let you know the results.

Anyway, my question is, can the car exist without the shell-shaped reservior aka the flower pot? I understand that this pot is there to prevent the engine from running out of fuel if the level is low and that the returning fuel kind of makes the liquid in the pot spin and thus suck the outside fuel through the small hole under the return line.

In my tank the pot has completely rusted away (strange, I thought it was made of plastic  ) There are just the base faundations. Even the filter is non existant.

Considering I manage to fix the holes in the bottom and I keep in mind that while the fuel level is low I must not drive too long uphills, can the car be normally used? Any experience with this?

Thanks

[ja17]

Hello,

The biggest problem with having no flower pot is fuel starvation when cornering when low on fuel.

[waqas]

Even when fuel is not low, you may get air bubbles in the fuel lines from the fuel sloshing around the whole tank.

[Miloslav Maun]

I thought that the pot is only in the tank of an injected car and that the carburetted cars do not have it.

Isn't the filter pot in the engine compartment the thing that would compensate those fuel delivery imperfections?

[ja17]

Hello,

Yes the "flower pot" (thanks for the term Dan!) is only in the tanks of the injected cars.  I ran some injected engines with standard (non flower pot tanks) in years past, and had no running issues until the fuel level became low.  The W113 tanks have the filler spout in a different spot than the sedans which have it in the middle. A good radiator shop can fix this problem! See the fuel tank tour.

[Benz Dr.]

You're welcome to use the term, ''flower pot ''. All royalties payable to me though....